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Jonah’s Nature Adventures

Jonah has been enjoying going on walks in lots of different places. In the beginning when we would walk Jonah outside, he was terrified. To the point where he never left our house without a double leash, so something happened to one leash we still had a back-up leash connected to a completely separate harness. We knew that if he got loose due to his panicked, mindless scrabbling that we would never get him back. It can be hard to see progress, but in Jonah it is blinding.

The last few weeks have been gorgeous and we have been taking Jonah on as many nature adventures as he can handle. Going on 2 hour walks is no problem for this guy–it is hard to believe that before we thought he might only ever be comfortable walking the block or two next to his home. His goal is to explore all of the great walking trails in Saint Paul with Frankie and his occasionally grumpy friend Gib (the Basset).

When we took Jonah down the riverbank the first time, we were definitely not expecting for him to charge head-long into the water. Once he got into the water, he wasn’t quite sure what to do–he managed to erratically dog paddle back to shore. Since then he has stayed on dry land but it looks like if given the time and opportunity, Jonah would love to learn how to properly swim.

During the walks, he has really impressed us with his ability to meet off-leash dogs (he does better than Frankie!). A few off-leashers have come barreling up to him and he is all soft body language and happy tail wags. He hasn’t met a dog he hasn’t liked yet and he hasn’t been incredibly overwhelming for other dogs to meet, either.

Perhaps the best part about all of these walks is how adorably squishy his little exhausted face is afterward. The exercise and all of the stimuli really wipe him out and he can sleep the rest of the day away after an extended walk. It’s one of the best things about him–he is incredibly flexible. If you want to sleep, he wants to sleep with you and once he’s tucked into bed, it doesn’t matter what time it is he is out like a light. If you want to play, he is right there ready for you and if you want to walk, he’s a ready companion! It’s fun to have such an athletic dog that is also a complete couch potato.

We are excited to (potentially) spend the summer with him and introduce him to all of the best nature trails.